Knight
Josh Paugh }} "The knight is the toughest warrior of all time. They had honor, but they were killers." -David Coretti, Army veteran/Sword expert The Knight, sword-wielding slayer of the Medieval age; Vs. the Pirate, murderous killer of the high seas. Stats *Year - 1423 *Height - 5' 11" *Weight - 180 lbs *Armor - Plate *Gear - 70 lbs *Loyalty - God *Symbol - Knight's helmet History A knight was a member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe who followed a code of law called "chivalry". In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavaliers or riders are more prevalent (e.g. French chevalier and German Ritter), suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport. Since antiquity a position of honor and prestige has been held by mounted warriors, such as the Greeks and the Romans, and knighthood in the Middle Ages was inextricably linked with horsemanship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG0dMxybV_8&list=WL&index=28 Plate armor for Knights were used in circa 1250 and grew in popularity in the 1400s. If they had the money, Knights would normally wear Plate instead of the previous armor, mail. Many Knights used both Plate Armor combined with mail armor (especially for their joins like Coifs for the neck.) Knights earned their legendary reputation as warriors during the Crusades for the "Holy Lands." They believed that they were on a divine mission from God himself to retake the "Holy Lands" from the current Muslim occupants. The First Crusade Lasting 1096–1099 AD; the First Crusade was overall a success in retaking the Holy Lands, however this war also was highly controversial for its hypocritical brutality. Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos was facing pressure from the growing Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm; which was rebuilding the Persian Empire by taking christian Byzantine territories in their expansion. Pope Urban II at this same time was facing division in the church; with an 'anti-Pope' Clement III claiming to be the right Pope of the Catholics. Urban II saw the Seljuks as an opportunity to unify Christians under all sects and to confirm his position as the true Pope by retaking the Holy Lands. Urban II declared Plenary Indulgence (a blessing to guarantee passage into Heaven, regardless of past sins) to anyone who would join the Crusades. While many warriors and Knights did join; many unskilled peasants (including women, children, elderly, criminals and the insane) joined as well. People's Crusade Peter the Hermit preached to the masses across Europe (beginning in France) and collected a peasant army known as the People's Crusade. Similar clerics rallied other armies as well. However the peasant crusaders began raiding and attacking European kingdoms (especially Hungary) as their logistics were so poor that they were already starving on their march east-ward. Emicho of Leiningen infamously massacred Jewish populations across Germany (even after the Jews paid his extortions), and other Crusader factions would continue similar antisemitic massacres despite Urban II directly denouncing such actions. Peter's People's Crusade invaded Turkish territory. They pillaged and massacred both Christian and Muslim towns alike and the army quickly dissolved into chaos. On the 21st of October 1096 the Battle of Civetot was fought. The Turkish forces crushed the unskilled and disorganized peasants with a successful ambush and encirclement; with only 3,000 out of 40,000 of the Crusaders surviving. The People's Crusade was a complete disaster; with 10,000s of European soldiers and civilians dying while Turkish causalities were at a minimum. Knights of France The army of the First Crusade was led under 7 different factions with 5 of them led by a knight; *Hugh I of Vermandois; who was the brother of a French King. *Godfrey of Bouillon; leading a massive German army. **Godfrey's brother, Baldwin I, also joined. *Bohemond of Taranto; the clever yet deceptive leader who led some of the most experienced and elite Knights in Europe. **Bohemond's nephew, Tancred, also joined. *Raymond IV of Toulouse; leading the largest of the armies. He was the only Knight to swear no oath to the Byzantines. **Raymond also affiliated himself with Adhemar of Le Puy; a Bishop personally appointed by the Pope to assist the leaders. *Robert of Flanders; who has the strongest alliance with the Byzantines. *Byzantine forces under Alexios I Komnenos *Peter the Hermit also joined this crusade with the remains of his Peasant army. When the Crusaders invaded Turkey, the Turks initially ignored the army; assuming that this force was another wave of unskilled peasants like from the Peasant's Crusade. The Siege of Nicaea was successful primarily because of this; the Turks unable to send a sizable army in time to end the siege. With naval support; Nicaea was completely surrounded and surrendered to the Byzantines. The 1097 Battle of Dorylaeum was a celebrated battle due to the discipline of the Knights under Bohemond; who held their lines for 7 hours to defend themselves against arrow fire. The Knights were too slow to fight the horse-archers, but the other Crusaders reinforcements arrived to push the Turks back. The leaders of the Crusades began rivalries against each other; which led to infighting over the conquered territories. Baldwin I was the most infamous example of this; attempting to use his larger army to extort territory from Tancred. Tancred's forces fought back against Baldwin, causing him to abandon the Crusade. Baldwin would later befriend Thoros of Edessa, only to betray Thoros by assassinating and replacing him in this coup. Baldwin would later be the King of Jerusalem. The siege of Antioch was one of the largest sieges due to the massive walls. Bohemond bribed a guard in order to sneak into the city. However the Turks surrounded the city while the Crusaders were still within the walls. The Crusaders were rallied when mystic Peter Bartholomew claimed to have found the Lance of Longinus; the spear that stabbed Jesus during his crucifixion (this claim was later discredited when the monk tried and failed to prove his holiness by engulfing himself in fire). This rally led by Raymond broke the Turks. Bohemond occupied the city after its fall, as he previously threatened to break from the siege if not allowed to keep it. Bohemond would remain in this city for the rest of the Crusade. Hugh I left the Crusades and returned to Europe after this siege. The Byzantine forces were satisfied with conquering Turkey and did not want to invest further. The Seige of Jerusalem began on July 13, 1099. After climbing over the walls with siege towers, the battle turned into a massacre especially against Muslims and Jews. (Although Raymond showed some mercy to the Muslims) Tancred was the only Knight attempting to rescue civilians of all sides, but with little success. However, some were allowed to leave or were ransomed or taken as slaves. Since Jerusalem was so politically and religiously important; the Knights of the Crusade fiercely debated over who would rule the city as King. Raymond surprisingly denied the crown (most likely in an attempt to gain more support by appearing humble). Godfrey also denied the crown, but accepted responsibility for being the new defender of the city. Vizier Al-Fadal attempted to reclaim Jerusalem for the Shia-led Fatimid Caliphate (which attempted to take the Sunni Turkish lands long before the Crusades began). Godfrey struggled to get a sizable army, as Raymond (who still commanded the majority of the Crusader Army) journeyed eastward and refused to assist due to the recent political bickering. On August 4th 1099; Tancred was paroling the Mediterranean shore when he captured a Fatimid scout; discovering the invading army. Godfrey and Tancred left Jerusalem, and eventually Raymond agreed to assist. On August 12th, the Crusaders surprised the Fatimids at The Battle of Ascalon. The Fatimids assumed that the Knights would stay in Jerusalem and so never considered creating defenses for his camp outside of the city of Ascalon. The Fatimids outnumbered the Knights 2 to 1; but the disorder of the ambush made this irrelevant and the Knights were significantly more experienced due to surviving so many extreme battles in the past. The Fatimids survived the battle by escaping into the city, and still had a sizable army, but this was still a crushing defeat for the Shia Muslims. Raymond and Godfrey again bickered over who would control Ascalon. It was agreed that the Fatimids could keep the city, so that there would be no imbalance of power between the competing Knights. Muslims would launch raids from Ascalon in the future until the Europeans finally left Jerusalem. Godfrey refused to crown himself king. A very humble and pious Christian, Godfrey refused to wear "a crown of gold where his Savior had worn a crown of thorns". He instead elected to be declared "Defender of the Holy Sepulchre" (Christ's tomb). He died one later under mysterious circumstances and replaced by his brother Baldwin. Baldwin, who wasn't as humble as his brother, crowned himself as the first King of Jerusalem. The Knight Arnulf tortured local Orthodox Christians in order to discover a relic declared to be The True Cross of Jesus; which further popularized the success of the Crusade. Only 300 Knights stayed in the Holy Lands as most returned to Europe, although other Europeans did immigrate to the Holy Lands. The Second Crusade 1147–1150 Islamic victory; with the Muslim conquest of the County of Edessa (in modern day northern Syria). The Third Crusade & The Kingdom of Cyprus Norman king Richard I attempted to launch a crusade in the early 1190s. Ricard's general Guy of Lusignan conquered the island of Cyprus on June 1, 1191; however this territory was Byzantine and was conquered in response to Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus imprisoning Richard's men (when Richard was forced to go to the island to avoid a storm). Richard did not plan to own a territory so far away from England and so sold the island to the Knights Templar: creating the Kingdom of Cyprus lasting 1192–1489. Richard went from the island into the Holy Lands. This Crusade captured the territories of northern Israel for the Crusaders and allowed both Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to be legally protected within either territory. The Kingdom of Cyprus became a relatively wealthy kingdom despite its small size. Its geographic location allowed it to be a vital Catholic naval base as well as a trading post. Cyprus would be used in several later Crusades where Knights would launch naval invasions from. Cyprus would be absorbed into the Republic of Venice in February 1489. Even today, Cyprus is affected by European and Islamic influence; with the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and Northern Cyprus existing as an unrecognized Turkish puppetstate in 17 June 1983. The Republic of Cyprus is noticeably the most South-Eastern state of the European Union and is home to NATO navy bases. The Fourth Crusade 1202–1204 https://youtu.be/SpVEkH14Jrc The Fifth Crusade In 1217–1221, The Crusaders attempted to invade the Ayyubid dynasty directly through the Nile River, but a flood of the river prevented the invasion and forced a surrender for the Crusaders. Status quo ante bellum. This Crusade is noticeable for having the Islamic Turkish Sultanate of Rum ally themselves with the Crusaders; although this was primarily an attempt to conquer Syrian territory (which also failed). The Sixth Crusade In 1228–1229, The Ayyubid dynasty was facing revolts in Syria and was not prepared or powerful enough to engage against the Crusade, and so decided to diplomatically surrender Jerusalem to the Crusaders before any major fighting occurred. The Seventh Crusade In 1248–1254, France led by King Louis IX launched an invasion of Egypt against the Ayyubid dynasty. It failed and Louis was captured. However the Mamluk Sultanate was beginning its overthrow against the Ayyubid and so Louis manipulated the political situation in his favor by assisting the Mamluk in exchange for his freedom. Afterwards he attempted to invade Jerusalem, but failed and returned home. The Eighth Crusade In 1270, France attempted to invade and occupy Tunis (in modern day Tunisia) but failed when a dysentery outbreak killed Louis IX and much of his army; forcing the Crusaders to retreat. The Ninth Crusade Tripoli and Acre were Crusader states that survived the majority of Muslim invasions throughout the Crusades, but in 1271 AD they were threatened by the Mamluk Sultanate. England and France allied themselves with the Mongol Empire. The Mamluk however repelled the Mongol invasion and reclaimed their land. The Mamluk then attempted to invade Cyprus, but failed. The Crusaders however realized they lacked the manpower to complete the Crusade and a peace treaty was formed. Aftermath of the Holy Lands Tripoli would fall in 1289 and Acre in 1291 to the Mamluk Sultanate. The Ottoman Empire would replace the Mamluk and reign between 1299–1923. In the aftermath of WWI; the Middle East was divided by primarily Western backed puppetstates (with many national borders created with the intention to divide and weaken certain groups unequally, most noticeably the Kurds). After WWII, the nation of Israel was declared on 14 May 1948 as a home for many Jews displaced by the war (especially the Holocaust). However there was immediate outrage and conflict that broke out; especially Palestinians who previously lived in Israeli territory. Most Muslim nations do not recognize Israel as a nation and instead have accused Western powers of trying to influence the region similarly to the Medieval Crusades. Renaissance As the Arquebus was introduced during the early Renaissance, the use of Medieval Warfare was replaced by Pike and Shot tactics; most noticeably perfected by the Spanish Tercio (including the Conquistadors like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro) in the 1500s. The early 1600s still saw use of plated Knights (most noticeably the French Gendarmes), but lighter Cuirassiers were introduced during the Thirty Years War. The Cuirassiers used carbines, pistols and dragoon shotguns to shoot the slower armored Catholic Knights from a safe distance while having superior mobility to outflank the Knights: a deciding factor in the Protestant victory at The First Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). The full body plate armor was essentially replaced by primarily the Steel Cuirass for both Tercio and Cuirassiers. Bulletproof Plate Armor was too expensive, slow and heavy to be relevant; and thus the Medieval plate armored Knight became effectively extinct. Post-Medieval Knights Even today, people can still be knighted by European royalty, but this is more of a symbol of honor and respect and most Knights today did not engage in warfare. Plate armored Knights existed until the invention of the Musket, which allowed common and cheap foot soldiers to easily kill a trained and expensive Knight with a long ranged weapon. Weapons Deadliest Warrior: The Game *Close Range: Broadsword, Mace *Mid Range: Poleaxe, Halberd *Long Range: Light Crossbow, Heavy Crossbow *Special Weapons: Morningstar *Armor: Maximillian Fullplate, Coat of Plates Battle In a world where France is still using knights in the 18th century, the battle begins with a Pirate discovering a dusty treasure chest in the middle of the forest. In the distance, the Knight comes riding in on his horse. The Pirate opens the chest and begins counting the gold doubloons inside, but hears the horse coming towards him. He looks up and sees the Knight with his Morningstar in one hand and a shield in the other. Thinking that he is trying to steal his treasure, the Pirate pulls out one of his Flintlock pistols. The Knight begins swinging his Morningstar and signals his horse to charge at the Pirate. The Pirate aims his pistol and fires, but the bullet was deflected off the Knight's Plate. He pulls out another pistol and fires a second time, but the bullet bounces off of the Knight's Helmet. The Knight's horse dashes at the Pirate, and the Knight successfully hits him with the Morningstar. The Pirate gets up and desperately scrambles for the Grenado in his pocket. The horse turns around and begins to charge at the Pirate again. However, the Pirate manages to light the fuse on the Grenado and throws it at the Knight. The explosion knocks the Knight off his horse. The Pirate slowly approaches the Knight, thinking that he is dead. The Knight sits up and shoots his Crossbow at the Pirate, hitting his leg. The pirate grimaces in pain and tries to pull the arrow out, while the Knight gets up and hits him with the Morningstar again and throws him to the floor. However, the Pirate pulls out his Blunderbuss as he hits the floor and shoots the Knight in the chestplate, sending him flying back. The Pirate then grabs his treasure chest and tries to run away, once again unaware that he still hasn't killed the Knight. The Pirate reaches the shore and sees his ship in the distance. He turns around and is annoyed to see that the Knight, though injured, is still following him. "Oh, bloody hell," he groans. He runs ahead to put down his treasure, then turns around and fires his third Flintlock pistol. The bullet hits the Knight, but he shakes it off and runs towards the knight with his Broadsword in hand. The Pirate pulls out his Cutlass sword and engages in a sword fight with the Knight. The two get their swords stuck in the sand, and the Knight uses this opportunity to kick the Pirate to the ground. He pulls out his Broadsword and tries to strike the Pirate, but the Pirate manages to roll out of the way. He backs himself up towards the bottom of a cliff, while the Knight slowly trudges towards him.The Knight swings his sword, but the Pirate parries with his sword and then kicks the Knight to the floor. The Knight gets back up and clumsily swings at the Pirate, who effortlessly dodges the sword. The Pirate then throws sand at the Knight's helmet, distracting him long enough to charge at him and throw him to the floor. As the Knight tries to regain consciousness, the Pirate runs to his fourth Flintlock pistol, which fell out of his pocket earlier on, and grabs it. He returns to the knight, who is still on the floor, and opens the medieval helmet's visor. He shoves the pistol at the Knight's face and fires at point-blank range, killing him instantly. The Pirate gets up and roars in victory. Expert's Opinion The Experts agreed that the Knight's defeat was due to the Pirate's blunderbuss and grenado. While the Knight had superior training, armor, and weapons, it was all trumped by the lethal and instant killing power of the Grenado and Blunderbuss. While it had a tendency to jam, the Blunderbuss' easily penetrated the Knight's armor and killed him easily, the exact reason armor became obsolete after the discovery of guns. The Knight was a victim of his time rather than his skill, and due to the Pirate's gunpowder weapons, literally, "brought a knife to a gunfight," in this case. In Deadliest Warrior: The Game *Class: Champion *Weapons: **Close-Range: Broadsword/Mace **Medium-Range: Halberd/Pole Axe **Long-Range:Light Crossbow/Heavy crossbow **Special Weapon: Morningstar **Shield *Armor:Maximillian Armor/Coat of plates *Finisher: The Knight hits the victim in the side with his morning star, then brings it back down on top of their head, killing them. He pulls out his short range weapon and stands over his dead adversary, denouncing the enemy. * In skirmish mode if one has more than two characters on the enemy team and uses the special finisher on the enemy before he dies, you can cause a glitch by skipping the scene animation right when the morning star hits the 2nd time. In which will cause the weapons and shields to go crazy!!! The shield will disappear but still can be used. However the Broadsword or the mace may have the chance to kill instantly, this applies to the Long range weapons also. Trivia *Documentary on the Knight's Templars https://youtu.be/XnEatn3-kko *Technically knights have been featured multiple times on the show. William Wallace was formerly a Scottish knight and nobleman, and William the Conqueror was also knighted. Vlad the Impaler would also have been a knight or at least had a knight's training. Knights reappeared in season 3 as Joan of Arc's troops against William the Conqueror, but with different weapons and without their visors on. *The Knight, has so far, the heaviest armor in the show at 70lb. *Knights have existed in most European countries, but the one specifically used on the show is the French Knight. It's most likely because France was famous for their exceptional knights and was a superpower in Europe during the middle ages. *In real life knights became extinct after being killed off by musketeers. Musketeers were seen as cowardly at first. Knights have attempted to adapt by reinforcing their armor to stop musket fire but eventually died out because any armor that was affordable and light enough for combat couldn't fully stop rounds from a Musket. Other theories why the Medieval Knight disappeared from the battlefield includes economic reasons and social shifts. *Russian knights are called Bogatyr. *The Viking Housecarl was conceptually similar to a Knight. Housecarls and Knights fought each other frequently. Since some Vikings (like the Normans) transitioned into the mid-late Medieval Knight: it was possible for a Housecarl to be Knighted. *Not all Knights rode horses, but all Chevaliers were horsemen Knights. Before Chivalry began, what would be considered a Knight in early Medieval Europe was simply anyone who was a horseman. *There is no single mentality of what Chivalry was. Chivalry could indeed be about justice and nobility, faith and loyalty or war and brutality. Every European nation and even every individual Kingdom or Lordship had their own definition of a warrior code, constantly changing depending on the politics and culture of the times. Many codes clearly contradicted other codes. Some forms of Chivalry were brutal enough to allow warcrimes; including mass rape and execution. It was very common for Knights to ignore their Chivarious code, even if some did intend to follow them strictly. *Members of the Knights Templar swore an oath to never use profanity under any condition, permanent chasity, and never to bathe. **The Templar's flag was a plain white banner with the latin black text "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam." or translated to "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give the glory." **Knights who survived a battle that was lost became exiled as punishment; sometimes only a year, sometimes permanently. *Pope Clement V and King Philip IV of France created the concept and appearance of the Baphomet. In order to destroy the Knights Templar; they accused the knights of being Islamic by declaring that they turned away from Christ to worship Muhammad; which the Catholic Church at that time saw as a demonic anti-christ (which is why the Baphomet is commonly associated with satanism). These false accusations gave the Pope and King Philip legal authority to perform mass arrests and executions of the Templars. **Jacques Bernard de Molay, the last member of the Knights Templar, declared before his execution on March 18, 1314; "Pope Clement, hear me! Before this year is out, you will answer for your crimes before God almighty." Indeed Pope Clement died shortly afterwards on 20 April 1314. **The reason why many Christian depictions are goat-like is to demonize Pan, a Greek goat-god of sexuality. Pan is a pagan god and is lustful; both concepts that are taboo in Christianity. Posiden is a similar god infamous for his lust, which inspired the idea of devils using Tridents. Hades (god of the underworld) also used a similar weapon known as a Bident. *One of the reasons European Knights had the heaviest armor of their time was due to other regions of the world were relatively warmer than Europe. Heavy armor made warriors overheat easily, so it was only practical in cooler climates. *The colors of a Knight was unique to the Knight itself. Only until the renaissance would European nations have standardized colors. *During the Middle Ages; scientific discoveries created by non-Europeans (especially Arabs) were strictly outlawed or discouraged. The concept of the number 0 for example was seen as a demonic creation. *Knecht means servant, in a manner similar to the word 'Samurai'. This word eventually evolved into the word 'Knight'. *The helm worn by the Knight in the episode is called a Bascinet. *Medieval art frequently depicted Knights fighting giant snails. This was a racist stereotype aimed against Lombards; a persecuted yet influential minority group who were considered greedy and protective like a snail. https://youtu.be/6ISOK-XtvYs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSUkIz_HV50 *The modern day micro-nations of Malta and the Vatican City originate from the Pope's influence beginning from the Medieval Catholic Church. Mussolini, despite his imperialism, recognized the Vatican City as a nation and allowed it to remain neutral throughout WWII; knowing that making the church his enemy would be a threat even to his Fascist government. *The Children's Crusades are two unofficial journeys to the Holy Lands that occurred in the year 1212. Stephan of Cloyes and Nicholas of Cologne gathered a mob of mostly children Christians (estimated to peaked at 7,000-20,000 people for Stephan and 30,000 for Nicholas) to join them to the Mediterranean Sea and sail to Jerusalem. Stephan believed that this Crusade would be invincible as God protects children. Instead the Crusade was a disaster: the journey on land had severe casualties or mass defections as the children didn't know proper logistics nor how to navigate hostile terrain (especially with Nicholas crossing the Alps). The Pope refused to recognize Nicholas' Crusade and ordered them to return home. Both Crusades ended in total disaster, as the children managed to sail to sea but were never seen again. It is rumored that most of the boats sunk or the children were kidnapped by pirates. *Christian Religious Wars were not specifically aimed at the Holy Lands and consisted much more than only 9 Crusades. There were even crusades against other Christians. **The Northern Crusades were aimed at northern Europe and Western Slavic lands; extinguishing the last pagan tribes of Europe with forced conversions and genocide. **The Reconquista was one of the longest crusades; lasting from 718 – 1492 to push out Islamic occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. ***Some historians argue that the religious motivations behind Conquistadors and the conquest of the Americas originated from Spanish Catholics trying to confirm their power over the Iberian Peninsula by creating empires to strengthen themselves against any Muslim counterattacks. *The Knights Templar adopted the red cross flag in 1312. Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain still use the red cross in their flags today. *A similar warrior is the Yan Lifida in Western Africa. They were the personal bodyguards of the Emir and other generals or nobles. Like the Knight, they were covered in heavy armor: however due to the arid biomes of Western Africa, the armor was heavy quilt instead of metal. *Europe's cold winters would force farmers temporarily out of a job. Many lords saw this as an opportunity to temporarily conscript large populations of their farmers to fuel the many wars within the Dark Ages. *Although Knights were expected to fight in wars, they can avoid conscription by paying their lord a scutage: this allows the Knight to escape combat while still contributing to the war effort by paying this tax. *When not in war; Knights would maintain law and order in their town. It was common for Knights to exercise judicial powers; being police or judges to crackdown on crime. **The king or lord had higher legal authority and could legally overrule the Knight. It was expected for the Knight to take care of their royal guests; providing them with food, shelter and other supplies. Some corrupt kings would devastate the economies of these towns by demanding too much food. This caused some Knights to lie to these kings; including pretending that a plague was in town. https://youtu.be/JV6lBtMAlso *The Knight's Templar is credited for inventing modern banking in Europe; creating The First Bank of London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35PZe0sgmCQ Other facts about Knights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d2e08Z01Jw Blackpowder vs Plate Armor Testing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQfcRLT18IY Category:Warriors Category:Ancient Warriors Category:Ancient European Warriors Category:Defeated Warriors Category:Season 1 Category:Horse Warriors Category:Special Forces Units Category:Freedom Fighters Category:Medieval Warriors